TheAzania MosakaShow

Director at Media Monitoring Africa William Bird says Deputy secretary-general of the Africa National Congress (ANC) Jessie Duarte was well within her right to retract a statement made in a recorded interview with Eyewitness News reporter Clement Manyathela.

Manyathela approached Duarte after an ANC briefing at Luthuli House on Tuesday, to get clarity on what she said about ANC NEC member, Tony Yengeni, to the Sunday Times. While she responded to his questions, she later asked that he not use the recording simply because he is from the radio station, 702.

Bird explains the circumstances under which one can retract their statements.

There should be some kind of consent that says yes I understand that and then it would be expected ethically for the journalist not to use that particular comment.

— William Bird, Executive Director Media Monitoring Africa

She is within her right to say I don't want you to use this again, but then she should have gotten consent from the journalist to say which part.

— William Bird, Executive Director Media Monitoring Africa

With that said, if you have someone who is a senior public figure and depending on the content of what they are talking about, the journalist may opt to go against that and say it is clearly in the public interest that we report this and they will have to use that as their justification.